Balanced Budget Resolution Passes Senate
More symbolic than anything else, House Concurrent Resolution 18, calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring a federal balanced budget, passed out of the state Senate today. Full Story
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Perry Says White House Talk Won't Distract Him
Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday that he refuses to get distracted by the suggestion that he should run for president in 2012. “I’ve got a legislative session that is substantially more important to the people of the state of Texas and to me,” he said. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Video: Perry On The Budget
Gov. Rick Perry, speaking to reporters outside a ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel, said legislative leaders were moving toward a budget deal that would avoid a special session. Full Story
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Video: Perry Responds to Talk of 2012 White House Bid
Gov. Rick Perry told a press gaggle today that he will not be distracted by talk of a 2012 presidential bid. Full Story
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Disarray Over Fiscal Bills Causes Delay, Confusion
The House was expected to take up two controversial fiscal matters bill today, but from the start representatives were not sure the lower chamber was prepared to pass them. The apparent holdup? Whether some of the revenue measures amount to the "accounting gimmicks" that the governor warned against Tuesday. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry (c) speaks with reporters outside the Senate Chamber on May 5, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Guest Column: My Lege in a Box
Call it the Justin Timberlake Treatment: The Legislature has found itself boxed in as it searches for a way out of the budget divide. Full Story
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House Passes Outcomes-Based Higher Ed Funding Bill
A bill allowing a chunk of funding for colleges and universities to be dedicated to "outcomes-based" funding passed through the House today and is headed to the Senate. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texplainer: How Does a Special Session Work?
Hey, Texplainer: How does a special session work? And how is it different from the regular session? Full Story
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Wildfire Politics Grip State as Disasters Strike Elsewhere
Gov. Rick Perry has unsuccessfully tried to get a meeting with President Barack Obama, who will be visiting Texas today, to discuss the federal government's denial of a wildfire disaster declaration in Texas, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry (l) gestures toward Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, during his visit to the Senate floor on May 5, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
After Emotional Debate, House Passes Sanctuary Cities Legislation
After hours of contentious and often emotional debate, the Texas House passed HB 12, the controversial "sanctuary cities" legislation. The measure was passed on a 100 to 47 vote just after midnight. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Senate Adopts Voter ID Report
The state Senate today approved a conference committee report on the voter identification bill that includes changes that would allow citizens to use a new form of documentation to cast their ballots. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Is David Dewhurst Goofy — or Goofy Like a Fox?
It’s funny that you can win four statewide elections and still have people think you’re a goofball, in over your head. But maybe Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s fumbles leading to the Texas Senate’s budget vote give the lie to that. Maybe he’s goofy like a fox. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Video: The Week in Texas Politics Recap, May 2 to May 6
No time to follow all the happenings of the Texas Legislature? We've made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome. Full Story
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House Prepares for Sanctuary Cities Debate
Is it about security or racial profiling? Will U.S. citizens be targets of harassment? Will it stain Texas with the reputation Arizona thrust upon itself? The Texas House will likely entertain those and other sensitive questions when House Bill 12, commonly referred to as the “sanctuary cities” bill, hits the chamber's floor on Friday. Full Story
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Perry on Senate Budget, Sanctuary Cities and Rainy Days
The governor told a press gaggle today that the Senate budget vote is a "step in right direction" — and that big-city police chiefs who oppose sanctuary city legislation must not have been listening last Election Day. Full Story
![Gov. Rick Perry (c) speaks with reporters outside the Senate Chamber on May 5, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Juvenile Justice Merger Heads to Governor
A bill to merge Texas' two state juvenile justice agencies is headed to the governor for a signature. Full Story
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Cornyn, Perry Blast Feds Over Wildfires
Sen. John Cornyn vowed to "raise Cain" if the federal government's decision not to give Texas extra financial assistance for battling the wildfires hinged on politics. But the feds say that Texas is already getting help. Full Story
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Failed Budget Vote Threatens Senate Tradition
Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden tried, and failed, to get 20 state senators to vote with him on a proposed state budget Tuesday. On Wednesday, he's going to see if he can find 15. Full Story
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![Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, listens to debate after bringing budget bill CSHB1 to the floor on May 3, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Update: Zaffirini and Powell Escalate Higher Ed Debate
An increasingly bitter disagreement over the future of the University of Texas at Austin between University of Texas System regents' chairman Gene Powell and state Sen. Judith Zaffirini is ratcheting up the ongoing debate surrounding higher education in Texas. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Politicians Vary on Who Gets Credit for Bin Laden Death
When it comes to acknowledging those responsible for bringing down Osama bin Laden — which politicians are understandably eager to do — there is a noticeable inconsistency in whom Texas' leaders are choosing to mention in their official statements. Full Story
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Credit: Stuart Palley
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